AFP offices in Gaza hit by airstrike, other journalists killed

Gaza
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The offices of Agence France-Presse in Gaza have been hit by an Israeli airstrike on Tuesday. Fortunately no staff were hurt in the attack. However, 3 journalists were killed and 2 others injured in separate airstrikes.

An AFP photographer has said that the building housing AFP's Gaza City office was hit in an Israeli air strike on Tuesday night.

He was reportedly in the fourth-floor office at the time of the attack but was unharmed and said that no AFP staff have been hurt in the attack. He said that at least three rockets appear to have hit the sixth floor of the building.

Earlier on Tuesday evening the Twitter feed of Sara Hussein of AFP read:

@sarahussein AFP

Shortly afterwards Hussein tweeted that the IDF had confirmed the hit, and that they had "surgically targeted a Hamas intelligence operations center on 7th floor of a media building in #Gaza." A direct hit was confirmed.

Hussein also retweeted an IDF warning to reporters on Gaza, telling them to stay away from Hamas operatives and facilities and stating that Hamas, a terrorist group, will use them as human shields:

@sarahussein AFP

RT reports that, also on Tuesday, two cameramen for the local al-Aqsa TV station, ­Mahmoud al-Koumi and Husam Salameh, were killed in a car marked with a press sign, near the al-Wihda towers in Gaza. Both cameramen were 30 years old and between them were the fathers of four children. Two others were apparently wounded in the strike.

A second attack killed Muhammad Abu Aisha, director of al-Quds Educational Radio, in his car.